Betting on Multiples

We explain the best methods for betting on multiples with our accumulator betting tips, which show you how to avoid lining the bookies pockets on a Saturday afternoon.

Hands up if you regularly bet on football? Chances are if you are reading this then you do, and I’d offer short odds that the majority of your bets are placed on Saturday afternoon multiples, or accumulators.

Accumulator betting is the most traditional form of football betting, although you can place accumulator bets on horse racing, golf and tennis among other sports.

In the past players would predict results by marking a 1, 2 or X next to the game to indicate a home win, away win or draw. Points would be given for correctly predicting results, with a maximum of 3 for a score draw. You can still see this scoring system in play when the official results are read out on BBC or Sky Sports on a Saturday afternoon.

An old football pools coupon

However, accumulator betting is now far more sophisticated and it’s more than simply a guess at which teams will be winning, losing or drawing on a Saturday afternoon. Yes, at base level it’s the same principle but there far more factors to consider if you want to become a successful gambler, particularly one who makes profit through accumulator betting.

But I thought all accumulator bettors are mugs?

This is something that most people are told when they begin to start betting seriously, it’s all about the ‘high value singles’. This is true to an extent, there are far more punters who will lose money on accumulator betting than will lose money on singles betting on a Saturday afternoon, but it’s not the whole story. There can be value in ‘rolling up’ multiple carefully selected teams into one bet, with the much higher odds offering the kind of returns that simply can’t be achieved from betting on singles.

It is worth remembering, however, that the bookmakers want you to place accumulator bets and, generally, will promote multiples over singles. The fixed odds accumulator slips found in bookmakers offering £1 million returns from a £2 stake contain matches that are selected by traders because they are difficult to predict and, generally, these types of bets are to be avoided.

Less is more when it comes to accumulator betting

This is a rule that cannot be over-stated. When placing accumulator bets, don’t be tempted into adding extra teams to ‘bulk up’ your bet. The bookmakers number one profit every weekend comes from one of the top teams failing to win at an horrendously short price. The reason that these results are referred to as ‘coupon busters’ is because of the number of accumulator bets that fail when they lose. Don’t be a victim!

If you wouldn’t place a single bet on the selection then don’t put it in your accumulator. It’s as simple as that. There’s no such thing as buying money and odds of 1/4 do not mean that a team is ‘guaranteed’ to win. It might seem like the extra team is adding extra value to your bet but think about it, if it’s adding 25p for every pound, is it really worth the risk?

Don’t end up being the victim of a ‘coupon buster’ on a Saturday afternoon

Don’t second guess yourself

If you decided against betting on a team first thing in the morning, then why did you add them into your accumulator bet at 2.55pm? People tend to get carried away when placing their accumulator bets and once they start adding they don’t stop. The best thing to do is to careful consider your selections and, if you’ve ruled out a team, never rule them back in. There are very few winners who will be shedding tears over the fact that they didn’t add a seventh team to their bet but there are millions every weekend who curse putting that one extra team into their accumulator!

Similarly, don’t be swayed by the advice of others, you’re betting for yourself, not them. Read previews, look up statistics and check team news to make your decision but, if you don’t fancy it, don’t bet it just because your Dad’s mate says they can’t lose. There is nothing worse than seeing all of your own selections win and then the one that you took on advice causing your bet to lose.

Bet on the selections, not the prize

Accumulator betting, by design, offers high rewards for low stakes. Any win is going to be a big win and it’s not necessary to strive to hit a certain monetary goal with your bet. The moment you start thinking about the prize is the moment you start giving up on your principles of research and carefully selected picks. Adding a team into a bet to make sure that the odds go higher than 100/1 or so that the payout is £500 is a recipe for disaster. Remember, there is nothing to be gained from having a losing betting slip that was set to return £501 but everything to be gained from a winning win that returned £427.

In the same vein, our advice would be to completely avoid the fixed odds specials in betting shops where there are two selections per section to return a guaranteed prize. More often than that the actual odds of the selections are greater than those offered anyway and it’s simply a way of putting pound signs in punters’ eyes.

Seek out the best odds

While focusing on the payout, and trying to construct an accumulator bet around a certain return, is a recipe for disaster, that doesn’t mean that you should totally ignore the payout on your accumulator bet. Different bookmakers will offer different odds on different matches and when put together in a multiple the disparity in returns can be very significant. All online bookmakers now allow customers to check the returns of their bet before placing it, so make sure that you have as many different accounts as possible and that you check which of the firms offer you the best returns for your combination of teams. You’d be surprised how few people do this and it is one of the main reasons that accumulator bettors are given a bad name.

Online bookmakers will let you check your odds before you place your accumulator bet

Be aware of money back specials

The only reason that you should ever sacrifice the best odds is if there is a money back special that offers insurance that is in any way equivalent to the loss of potential earnings. The great thing is that the majority of the big bookmakers all offer similar money back specials on a Saturday afternoon, with the likes of Paddy Power and William Hill giving cash back if one side lets your bet down. The fact that these companies are willing to offer this kind of insurance shows how determined they are for your business and that kind of leverage should not be taken lightly.

It’s easy to forget that as bettors we are all consumers and we have no allegiance to any particular bookmakers (shops). If William Hill offer the best money back special for a fourfold but Paddy Power have the best cash back for First Goalscorer bets then place your accumulator bet at William Hill and your goalscorer bet at Paddy Power. Don’t feel obliged to place them all at the same place, they won’t find out!

Good luck, and remember, as with all betting, don’t bet more than you can afford to lose and have fun with your wagers. If you do this, and stay smart, you’ll be a successful accumulator bettor.

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